Composition applicator



March 12, 1940. w. wANNx-:R

COMPOSITION APPLICATOR Filed May 2, 1938 Patented Mar. l2, 1940 UNITEDSTATES COMPOSITION APPLICATOR williamk wanner, Wilmetce, In., assignorto Saml Binghams Son Mfg. C0., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of IllinoisApplication May Z, 1938, Serial No. 205,417

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in composition applicators forroller coating machines. In coating printers rollers, a composition o1'coating material is applied thereto to provide new surface. Machines forcoating printers rollers are well known and 'generally comprise anapplicator or pan which is moved longitudinally of a rotating roller andinto which hot coating composition is constantly supplied during thecoating operation. The composition generally congeals or hardens rapidlyupon cooling and consequently it has been the general practice toprovide a composition heater in conjunction with the machine throughwhich the material which overflows from the pan or applicator isrecircuulated to restore it to a proper temperature and viscosity. i

It has been found, in using applicators of vthe type heretoforegenerally employed that notwithstanding the fact that the hotcomposition has been continuously supplied to the applicator inquantities considerably in excess of thatrequired in coating a roller inan attempt to obtain uniformity in the applied coat, there has beenimperfect circulation of the composition within the applicatorespecially on the side ofthe roller remote from the intake, with theresult that the non-circulating composition in the applicator becomescooled and partially congealed and when portions of this less-uidcomposition contacted and adhered to the roller surface, imperfectionsin the finished coating resulted. Y

It is an object of the present improvements to provide an improvedaplicator which prevents the entrapment or retension and therebycongelation of coating composition within the applicator and thuseliminates the cause of imperfect coatings above mentioned.

A more specific object of the invention is toY provide a compositionapplicator having an overflow passage or outlet port in the side or endthereof remote from the composition intake whereby there is induced across current of coman applicator which may be constructed for use incoating a single roller or for coating a plurality of rollerssimultaneously, such as a pair of rollers, for example, whereby not onlyis the capacity of the machine increased but the coatings will beapplied under substantially identical conditions of temperature andviscosity of the composition whereby more uniform results will beobtained, which is very desirable in instanceswhere the rollers are tobe employed in high grade or quality printing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an applicator forsimultaneously coating a plurality of printers rollers which is providedwith means for 'controlling the level of the composition materialtherein for effecting the uniform coating of the rollers.

Other objects relate to various advantageous Vfeatures of constructionsuch as the provision of an overow duct for directing the coating ma'-terial from the outlet port to a desired point of discharge, all ofwhich will be apparent from a consideration of the following specicationan accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a composition or coating materialapplicator embodying the present improvements ;k

Fig. 2 is a broken elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3.-?. of Fig. 2' and showing indotted lines the relative position of a roller to the applicator duringthe coating operation; y

`Fig. 4 is a broken elevation of an applicator adapted to coat tworollers simultaneously;

Fig. 5 is a broken sectional View taken on line '5 5 of Fig. 4 and Fig.6 is a perspective view of a detachable and adjustable gate adapted forcontrolling the ow of liquid through anoutlet provided in the form ofapplicators illustrated in the preceding gures. In coating rollers withcomposition material, the rollers are sometimes arranged in verticalposition during the coating operationwhile other machines provide forthe support of the rollers in inclined position. Applicators shown andde scribed herein are adapted for use in machines of the latter type. `v

As shown in Fig.. 1, the applicator which is generally indicated by thenumeral I0 comprises a pan or receptacle which may be fabricated ofsheetmetal but preferably is formed by casting as of aluminum, for example.The applicator comprises opposite-end walls I I and I2, a bottom Wall I3and front andrear walls I4 and I5. One of the end walls, such `as endwall II, may be f. o fl provided with an intake passage I6 as shown inFig. 5 into which may be inserted a tube I'I which is secured therein bya set screw I8, for example. Connected with the tube I'I is a flexiblehose (not shown) through which hot composition material is delivered tothe applicator.

The front and rear walls I4 and I5 are provided with recesses I4a, Ia,respectively for accommodating a roller or rollers I9 to befcoated asillustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the roller being shown in dotted lines inFig. 3. The forward wall I4 is provided with a rubber dam 20 held inplace by a U-shaped metal member 2|. The dam 20 extends inwardly of therecess in the wall I4 and is adapted to contact a lower portion of aroller I8 `to prevent the iiow of composition material downwardly of theinclined roller ahead of the applicator I0 as the latter movesdownwardly in a direction parallel with the rotating roller during thecoating operation.

In accordance with the general practice, the recessv or recesses l5aenable surplus composition which is supplied to the applicator in excessof that required for merely coating .the rollers to overiiow the rearwall for discharge into a trough, or the like (not shown) which isdisposed beneath the roller or rollers, the trough returningthecomposition material to a reservoir or tank where'it is reheated andrecirculated .to the applicator.

For the purpose of preventing the partial congelation of compositionmaterial within the application during a coating operation, the end wallI2 is provided with an overflow or outlet port 22. This port is locatedat such height that it enables the composition material delivered to thereceptacle to rise thereinxto a level for effecting the coating of theroller and to overflow through the recess or recesses |50; of the rearwall I5. v

It will be seen by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 that when the level of thecomposition in the re'- ceptacle is such as to contact the roller I9 andto flow through the recess I5a, some of the surplus will also flowthrough the outlet port 22. There will thus be created a current ofcomposition material from the intake side to the outlet side thereoftransversely of the roller being coated which will preclude suiicientcooling of the composition material in the applicator at the dischargeside thereof during the coating operation as to cause it to partiallycongeal.

Due to the fact that applicators of the type heretofore employed havenot been provided with discharge ports to create cross currents of hotcomposition material, under some conditions congelation or partialcongelation `of the material occurred in the applicator at the side ofthe roller remote from the intake end thereof with the result thatportions of such partially congealed or less-fluid composition materialnot infrequently came into contact with and adhered to the surface ofthe roller and formed imperfections in the iinished coat. By theprovision of the outlet port for the material in the receptacle at theside of the roller remote from the intake opening, this partialcongelation is avoided due to the fact that a cross current of hotcomposition is created which flows transverselyof the roller andmaintains the entire body of material in the applicator at a temperatureabove the congelation point. With the present improvements, higherpercentages of perfect coating operations have been obtained than withapplicators of the prior type above mentioned.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the outlet port 22 communicates with adischarge passage 23 which is formed by an extension 24 of theapplicator. The passage 23, as shown, extends downwardly and inwardly ofthe applicator and terminates in a discharge oriiice 25 located beneaththe applicator for returning to the trough (above referred to) thecomposition material which iiows through the outlet port 22. lThedischarge of a portion ofthecomposition material through the passage 23along the wall I2 insulates the latter and assists in preventing excesscooling of the material inthe end of the applicator remote from theintake thereof. A The upper end of the passage 23 is open to theatmosphere to provide for the free flow of the composition from the port23 downwardly and through the discharge orifice 25. The open end of thepassage also facilitates the flushing out of any retained coatingmaterial after use of the apparatus.

It is desirable to provide means for controlling the flow of compositionmaterial through the outlet port 22 for varying the level of thecomposition within the applicator. Such control means may be in the formof a sheet metal gate 26 shown in perspective in Fig.. 46. The gateillustrated is provided with an integral spring clip 2'? adapted toengage the rear wall I5 with sufficient frictionIto retain the gate inany desired adjusted position. By lowering the gate from the positionshown in Figs. 2 and 3, less composition material will be dischargedthrough the port 22 and consequently the level of thev material in theapplicator may be regulated as required in obtaining mostsatisfactorycoating results. generally by raising the level'of the composition inthe applicator by lowering the gate 1.6, a. thinner coating. will beobtained and by raising the gate ak thicker coating will be obtained.The gate preferably is so formed .at the lower end as to precludecomplete obstruction of the flowof composition through the outlet asshown in Fig. 6.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing, the applicator shown is constructed similarlyto the form shownin the preceding figures except that it is of greaterlength and the front and rear walls are provided with-recesses foraccommodating two rollers. Since the construction of the applicatorshown in Fig. 4 is practically identical to that shown in the precedingfigures, the corresponding parts thereof have been given the sainereference characters which have been primed for identification.

In using an applicator of the form shown in Fig. 4, it has been founddesirable to support the applicator in a position inclined from theintake to the discharge end thereof, that is, from right to left asviewed in Fig. e, for the purpose of further inducing a cross current ofhot com-- position material transversely of the rollers. The rollersbeing coated simultaneously are therefore rotatably supported indifferent but parallel planes, the roller more remote from the intakeend of the` applicator being in the lower plane. The supporting meansshown may comprise an inclined guide member indicated by numeral 28 inFig; 4 which supports a carriage 29 which, by means of an adjustablebracket 30, supports either the single roller applicator Ill or themultiple roller applicator i0 at the desired inclination and carries thesame longi` tudinally of the roller or rollers during the coatingoperation. The applicator may be adjusted vertically as may be necessaryin accommodating the, same to the roller or rollers being'coated Thus bymeans of a threaded adjusting member 3|. A roller coating machine withwhich the present applicators are adapted for use is disclosed in ajoint application, ySerial No. 205,502, led May 2, 1938. The applicatorsherein shown and described may, of course, be employed with other tionfrom the applicator and consequently of' the v i level of liquid in theapplicator may be controlled as described above with reference to thesingle roller applicator. In coating ltwo or more rollers simultaneouslywith an applicator of the type shown in Fig. 4 which, as stated above,is inclined and the roller more remote from the intake is located in aplane lower than that of the other roller, the level of the compositionat the lower roller tends to rise relatively higher than the level atthe intake end. For controlling the ilow of composition from the firstor higher coating section to the next lower coating section, suitableilow control means may be employed such as the vertically adjustablegate SL As shown in Fig. 4, this gate is disposed between the two rollercoating sections of the applicator and is similar in construction to thegate 26 and Zii. By'raising or lowering the gates 26 and 32 the flow ofcompositionfrom the applicator and from the higher roller coatingsection to the next coating section can be regulated for maintaining thelevel of the composition in the coating sections of the applicatorsubstantially' uniform with reference tothe respective rollers wherebymore uniform `results are obtained, that is, the coating appliedto`two'or more rollers coated simultaneously will not vary in thicknessdue to n diierences in the level of the composition in the withvfrontand rear walls having recesses for accommodating a roller to be coated,an intake for uid coating material at one side of said recesses, and anoutlet at the opposite side of said recesses at a level adapted toinduce the flow of coating `material transversely of ythe roller.

2. A coating `applicator for a roller coatingv machine comprising areceptacle having front and rear walls provided with recesses` foraccommodating a roller to be coated, an intake for iiuid coatingmaterial at one end of the receptacle, an outlet at the opposite end oithe receptacle at a level for inducing a ow of coating materialtransversely of the roller -being coated, and adjustable means forcontrollingr the flow of coating material through-said outlet.

3. A coatingapplicator for a roller coating machine comprising areceptacle` having front and dating a roller to be coated, an intake forfluid v,coating material at .one end of the receptacle.

an outlet at the opposite end of the lreceptacle at a level for inducinga ilow of ,coating material transversely of the roller being coated, andadjustablemeans comprising a gate slidably attached to an adjacent wall"of the receptacle for controlling the iiow oi coating material throughsaid outlet.` L f L4. `A coating applicator for a roller coating machinecomprising a` receptacle having front and rear walls provided withrecesses for accommodating a roller to be coated, end walls for saidreceptacle one provided with anintake for a iiuidcoating material andthe other end having an outlet for inducing the flow of coating materialtransversely of theroller being coated, and an overflow ductcommunicating with said outlet for directing the material from saidvoutlet to a position of discharge.

5. A coating applicator for a roller coating machine comprising areceptacle having front andl rear Walls provided with recesses foraccommodating a roller or rollers to be coated, end walls for saidreceptacle one :provided with an intake for fiuid coating material andthe other kend having an outlet `for inducing the flow of material fromone end of the receptacle to the other transversely of roller or rollersbeing coated, and an overflow duct communicating with said outlet andextending downwardly and unchines comprising a receptacle having frontand rear Walls provided with recesses for accommodating one ormorerollers to be coated, end walls I' for the receptacle'one providedwith anintake for fluid coating material and ythe other with an outletfor inducing the iiow of material trans'- verselyy of the roller orrollers being coated, and an overow duct in said last mentioned end wallprovided with open upper and lower ends and communicating with saidoutlet lintermediate said open ends.

7. A coating applicator for roller coating machines comprising areceptacle having front and rear wall-s provided with recesses foraccommo- '60 f dating a roller to be coated, an intake positioned atoneside of said recess for supplying composition thereto in excess of thatrequired for coating the roller, and composition outlet `means, po-

rearv walls provided with recesses for accommositioned on the other sideof said recess for yconcomprising a composition receptacle providedvwithv recesses for accommodating one ormore printers rollers, inletmeans for supplying composition to said receptacle during the coatingvoperation, said receptacle having*A an outlet' for Acomposition materiall, located at a side of the roller or rollers remotefrom said inlet, andadjustable means for varying the ow of material through said outletforcontrolling .the level of the composition material in the receptaclefor Y varying the thickness of the applied coating.

WILLIAM WANNER.

